(Newser)
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Australia is in mourning for one of its top cricket players, who has died two days after being hit in the head by a ball during a match in Sydney. Phillip Hughes was felled by a ball that struck him at the base of the skull, below his helmet, causing what the Australian national team's doctor says was an "incredibly rare" kind of brain injury called a "vertebral artery dissection," which has only been caused once before by a cricket ball, the BBC reports.

The batsman would have turned 26 on Sunday, and had been in a coma since he was injured. Prime Minister Tony Abbott issued a statement minutes after the death was announced, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. "For a young life to be cut short playing our national game seems a shocking aberration," he said. "He was loved, admired and respected by his teammates and by legions of cricket fans."

If this same injury happened once before, why wasn't the helmut redesigned to make sure it didn't happen again. Somebody didn't do their job and Mr. Hughes has paid the price for the stupidity of another.

pg13

Nov 27, 2014 7:31 AM CST

Was he batting at the time? No mention who the bowler was, or what actually happened.

Mr_Josh_you_a

Nov 27, 2014 3:56 AM CST

RIP mate. Sad day for all us Aussies. For those that don't know, a cricket ball weighs around 6 ounces and travels at around 85 to 100 mph. Having played the game and been hit as a youngster, I can tell you that it hurts like hell when it connects with the body. I imagine similar incidents have occurred with baseball. And you can call me...................Mr Joshua